Name resolution is a fundamental function required to access operating systems and network objects such as hosts, printers, files, and mailboxes. Each object is usually known to its users by a name, and to the system supporting it by an object identifier called an address. A naming system resolves the names for objects it supports to addresses. The set of names constitute the naming space, and the set of addresses constitute the address space for that system.
Some examples of existing naming systems are the Unix file system discussed in D. Ritchie, K. Thompson, the UNIX time-sharing system, Communication ACM, 365-75 (1974); the domain name server discussed in P. Mockapetris, Development of the Domain Naming System, ACM, 123-33 (1988); profile naming system discussed in L. Peterson, The Profile Naming Service, ACM Transactions on Computer Systems 6, (4), 341-64, (1988); and the Global directory server discussed in B. Lampson, Designing a Global Name Service, ACM, 1-10 (1986).
Each of the systems listed above have a specific syntax for names and a resolution mechanism which resolves those names to addresses. Generally, names in a hierarchical name space consist of the multiple component.sub.-- names separated by delimiters. Names in attribute-based name spaces contain &lt;attribute.sub.-- type=attribute.sub.-- value&gt; pairs as discussed in Comer, Douglas E. and Peterson, Larry L.; Understanding Naming in Distributed Systems, Distributed Computing, pp. 51-60 (1989). The resolution mechanisms in all of these systems are dependent on the specific name syntax, and while all resolution mechanisms resolve a name to an address, current naming systems must support additional functions and flexibility in name interpretation to support emerging naming standards such as X.500.
Other examples of prior art systems for identifying computer resources are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,571 entitled Locating Resources in Computer Networks; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,354 entitled Method of File Access in a Distributed Processing Computer Network. Examples of earlier name processing system work by the inventors includes EP 260458-A, entitled Operating System for Networking Processor--is arranged to recognise network architecture required for extended device file call; and EP 204994-A, entitled Generalized directory data model--Stores in data-base mapping of information related to names etc. with search and update controlled by algorithm.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,470 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,005 also discuss techniques for using alias names to facilitate communication over a common user network. However, none of the prior art techniques provide a flexible system and method for accommodating name resolution in accordance with the subject invention.